Antiskid device



April 2, 1940.

F. J. DALEY ANTISKID DEVICE Original Filed Jan. 17. 19:58

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. flan/(J. Daley ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 2, 1940 i UNITED S DD W Frank J.Daley, schenectady-bountn-N. Y.

'- ".idpplication JanuaryI'I, 1938,, ser al No. 135,253

f BenewedfFebruary' 2; 1940 .loo aims (clgisz'zity i" "1 y, invention, relates to antiskidldevices.

7 Vehicles', such as automobiles are"frequently required to operate" underj slippery road oonditions due tojmud, 'icefsnow and'the like. The

5 traction of the vehicle'on vvthe roadib'ecornes, so

rangem'entfor vehiclesin which the device can poor that the vehicle may jbecomestalled, and the automobile may skid ,,laterally'jon jth'e' road and become uncontrollable. This loss of traction and skidding is minimized by attaching chains or other similar. antiskiddevices; to the tread ofthe wheel. 7 ii I These devices arevery unsatisfactory because j I r I fragmentary side elevation or a automobile havof the great inconvenience involved in' changing them. If theyare attached to the wheels the "operatorwcannot readily remove thein without 2 reaching, around the whee1s' .,to release the inside connection. I The connection. also is usually hard to release. as it. becomes "fouled. with ice'jofmud. a result operators'i'usually leave; their; chains on for considerable distances inj'which ,they traverse clear I roads and short stretches of roads requiring chains. TravelingIon clear roads great- .ly wears, chains; If the operator encounters a stretch of road; requiring chains or 7 similar antiskid devices and they. are not'onthe automobile, conditions are mostu unfavorable for putting them on the wheels, An object of my inventionjs to provide an improved antiskid or traction. increasing arrangement for vehicles in which thedevice can be carried by the vehicle when notinuse so Qthat the wheel .or the-like can be runwith the exposed tread o fi-thewh'eel incontact with thesurface of H provided with an antiskid devic v .the tread of the. wheelsand fr aiuedduring 85 the road, and in which the traction increasing arrangement can be brought intotoperative relation to the wheel when-it is required to traverse a road requiring increasedi adhesion between the wheel and the road. V

.A further object of my rangement for; vehicles inwhichthe arrangement canbe carried adjacent the wheel of the vehicle "whenjnot in use, so that thejwheel for the iike'c'an be run with the exposed treadj of the wheel in contact with the surface of the road-and in which the, traction increasing arrangement can be brought'into driving relationsf withthe mounted .on a centralwheel portion l8 whichis wvfiangedat [9 to secure thewheel'portion by -bolts. zto. a brake drum ll aWhiCh is rotatably 50 mountedin the usual manner on a spindle 22 at- I tached' to the steering knuckle 23 pivotal1y at- Wheel or secured tightly about the *treadof the wheel when it'is' required to "traverse a'roadfrequiring increasedadhesionbetween the wheel and the'ro'adi A furtherobjectof m invention istoprovide an improvedantiskidor traction increasing arbe rendered ineffective; as desired; iii-traversing specification.

7 g I I inventionisto provide an improved antiskid or traction increasing arg clear roads th' he -tread ofthe wheels-exposed to the surface of the road, ahdfinwhich'the device can" be rendered effective; as required in traversing slippery roads, from the :vehicle' and Preferably fromthe op'eratorsseat. I 5 Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent asth'efollowingqdescription proceeds, and the features of: novelt which characterize my invention will be setforthin the claims: rifnexed' j tqf nq earninga part-of this On the accompanying drawinga Fig". 1 is a ing" an; antiskid'de i e onthe' f v 'ntwheel thereof embodyingmyinventior'i;Fig.2 is a sectional-view direction indic'ated by jthefarrowf 3% mr-ig; 2

showing therelease and driving arrangement-used w the tpnstr on s owx 'in fi -"'1 a d F 4 isja1fragmentarysectionaliview of the, line 41 4. I

of Fig. :13: Fig. an elevationalf view partly in section gviewing theitread V of 'theiwheel and illusatio'nary permit- 25 and Fig. 7 is eu arggg sectional view -on line an the fom'i-jor I my invention ill strated .in'r'igj 1 ts 4"inc1us ive each of the wheels l 0 Y or the o 'n'ohil'eg 'I i are armed a ou smoothroad operation so' that t ejeicposed tread."

'of the'wheel can'rud'freely verfthe, rioadfj'lZ while the antiskid devices'are etameq y latch or the like so the? they do not rotate-with the wheels iaamd permit the wheels to rotate freely 40 with respect thereto; Althoughthe detailedcon-r' struction of the frontwheel is' shownyit will be understood that the rear wheels of the 'automobile' "are provided with a similar arrangement. 1

1 The wheei'lfl includes a pneumatictire13 havinga tread l4 and'beads .limountedon a l6; Th'erim I6 is provided Iwitha felly l'lrigidly tached by king bolt 24 to the front axle 25: of. the

rangement includes a plurality of chains 28 arranged in spaced relation about the periphery of the tread l8 and the wheel and out of contact with the tread so that the wheel can run freely with respect thereto. The chains 28 are spaced apart on opposite sides of the arc of contact between the wheel tread and the surface of the road |2 as shown in Fig. 1, so that there is no tendency of rotation of the wheel to carry the chains 28 over the arc of contact. The chains 28 may be made in any suitable manner, and may be imbedded in vulcanized rubber or constructed of other suitable material which will give the desired increase in adhesion between the wheel and the surface of the road when desired. The chains 28 are spaced apart about the remaining periphery of the wheel above the arc of contact, but are preferably evenly spaced apart and close enough together to obtain satisfactory non-skid operation when the condition of the road requires the use of the device.

The chains 28 are attached at their opposite ends to supporting elements or arms 21 and 28 respectively arranged radially of the wheel, eleven such arms are provided on each side of the wheel in alignment with each other axially of the wheel, thus leaving exposed the arc of contact between the wheel and the surface of the road. The arms 21 are pivotally attached at 29 to the outer race 38 of a ball bearing. In order to make the arms 21 radially resilient they are mounted in sleeves 3| and are urged outwardly by springs 32 which are retained under compression between the inner ends of the arms 21 and the closed ends of the sleeves 3| adjacent the pivotal connection 29. The outward movement of the arms 21 is limited by pins 33 attached to the arms which are slidably arranged in slots 38 in the sides of the sleeves 3|. The inner race 38 cooperating with the outer race 38 of the ball bearing, is attached to a mounting plate 38 riveted at 31 to the hub cap 38 of the wheel i8. Thus the wheel is free to rotate with respect to the arms 21 but the ball bearing retains the arms 21 and the desired relation to the wheel. The arms 28 are also pivoted at 39 to the outer race 88 of a ball bearing which cooperates with an inner race 8| secured to a stationary flange 82 mounted on a disk 83 carrying the stationary part of the brake cooperating with the brake drum 2|. The inner ends of the arms 28 are slidably mounted in sleeves 88 which are attached at their inner ends to the pivotal supports 39. The arms 28 are made axially resilient by compression springs 88 retained under compression in the sleeve 88 between the inner ends of the arms 28 and the closed ends of the sleeve 88 adjacent the pivotal connections 38. The outward movement of the arms 28 is limited by pins 88 attached to the arms 28 and slidably movable in slots 81 in opposite sides of the sleeve. Thus the resilient arms 21 and 28 support the chains 26 out of contact with the tread M of the tire. The arms 21 and 28 are arranged radially of the wheel, and are retained in this relation by a plurality of tension springs 88'. The arms on opposite sides of the arc of contact of the wheel are retained in radial relation by springs 89 connected at 88 to the outer race of the supporting ball bearing, and the springs 88' connecting together the other adjacent arms.

The arms 21 and 28 are latched in the position shown in Fig. 1 by an arrangement shown in Figs. 3 and 4. This latching arrangement includes a block 8| attached to the outer race 88 by screws 82, and having inclined faces 83 presented radially inward so as to cooperate with a latch bolt 88 having faces conforming to the faces 83. The latch bolt 88 is guided radially by a casing 88 in which it is slidably fltted, the

casing being attached to the inner stationary race 8| by screws 88. The casing is flanged at 81 to slidably flt a reduced portion 88a of the latch bolt, and a compression coil spring 88 is retained under compression between the flange 81 and the shoulder 88b on the latch bolt. With this arrangementthe latch bolt 88 is retained by the spring 88 in engagement with the faces 83, so as to prevent the rotation of the outer race 88 with respect to the stationary race 8|. This also prevents rotation of the arms 21 and 28 as well as the outer race 38 to which the arms 21 are attached. If the-automobile should encounter an obstruction in the road some of the chains 28 may be forced into contact with the tread l8 and carried around with the wheel. When this occurs the tapered wedge face 83 exerts a wedging downward force on the latch bolt 88 and forces it downwardly to compress the spring 88' until the end of the latch bolt slides under the lower end of the block 8|. During this rotation of the outer race 88 the latch bolt 88 is limited in its outward movement by pin 81a which engages the flange 81, so as not to come into engagement with the pivotal connections 38. When the wheel is returned to the position shown in Fig. 1, and the wheel is running over a smooth portion of the road again the tapered outer end of the latch bolt 88 will engage the tapered outer lower surface 83a of the block 8| and be pressed downwardly and snapped into engagement with the faces 83 so as to latch the outer race 88 the arms 21 and 28 and outer race 38 in the position shown in Fig. 1.

When the operator desires to bring the chains 28 into operative relation with the tread l8 a pull rod 89 is actuated from the operator's seat on the vehicle. This swings a link 88 about its pivotal support 8| carried by the stationary support 82 and retracts the latch bolt 88 so as to disengage and clear the latch block 8| through the pivotal connection 82 of the link 88 to the lower end of the latch bolt 88. The pivotal connection 82 is slidably arranged in a slot 83 in the lower end of the latch bolt, so that the latch bolt 88 can be snapped out of engagement with the block 8| without transmitting any motion to the link 88. Operation of the pull rod 88 to retract the latch bolt 88 to release the outer race 88 permits turning of the arms 21 and 28 with the wheel l8, so that the chains 28 are successively carried about the arc of contact between the tread and the surface of the road. The arms 21 and 28 are mechanically driven or coupled so as to rotate with the wheel in this way by providing a projection 88 on the rim i8. The pro- Jection 88 is preferably square and under this condition engages a square block 88 which engages one side or the other of the block 88 depending on the direction of rotation of the wheel l8. This block 88 is shown in its disengaged position in Fig. 3, but is pivotally mounted on a pin 88 carried by a bearing 81 attached to the outer race 88, the block 88 being attached to the pin 88 by an arm 88 rigidly carried by the pin 88. The opposite end of the pin 88 provided with an arm 89 receiving a headed shaft 18 which is slidably mounted in an opening in alignment with the axis of the latch bolt 88.

the construction illust ted tneffwii eei floj efi v-Jfl i loos ltfl tes 1%, e n i t l endot meat-m 88I'sr'nal1er than the head 1]" and thei'couar 12' 6n the she-reign. '7; A ceunterbore n taining a helical comp ession sprinkjfliinthe counter-bore. .mxneifiosnmn illustrated i a theJatch vfb oltls lj is'j"in",it's latching fpos itionfand' he s r n ,58' u s t h Shaft l u ward yFt compress the: relatively weal: s rmg v 15', thus blocks so as to; cause thefchainsj 26' to, e: rotated withthe 1whe 1 Wand fp'reve'nt fskitlding of the automobile; 'When" the "'antiskid device? "j n b longer required the ,pull rod 59 is releasedffrorn t n a ors se t 7 hat'ijthe at h? bo snapsinto' engage nt with the faces'53 to stop rotation fof; thesouter" c'eijfll together with the arms'fl and 28' with these arms in' thejpcs itijon h n F 1 "th w i ;rwithf n 13 pdsekltread efthewheel unning in ontactwith the surface of th'eroad. f

I..-A mbdi cation of i'nyj inven on is illustrat' din Fi lf f d-KTb qldraw gs i hi antiskidfldevi'ce" is arranged iabOutthe whee and latched.v in, a" stationary 1 positiong asfshown in i zb i fi mwins when t t s e ired 11 verse fa 'clear 1, stretc of road'j not 'requirin the antiski d ldeilic'e." 'Injthis j form of my invention 'th'ef anti'skid,fdevice i brought ihto operationfflby cla'xn'pingtheyelement extendingaci'oss'thetread of the, wheel in firm 1d I vingfi engagement therewithf and again-1, r'eleja 'edj', wheri'fnot red uired. This, engagement and; dis'en' gagementj is fpref erablyidbri Ib 'wt a fx pullv od enlivenliently accessibleffro ljn and 'corres'pondin'gjiparjts have been designated bythe T's'arn'e reference" numerals: 'l he a'ntis'l zjid [device comprises a plurality of relatively rigid 'mblded reinforced elements [6 extending across hetr'eadj 141 the, whe l butt o fi therewith s'o that "thewheel"can run freelyin re'sb'ect 'thereto. These'elenientslIi are'arranged abbut "theperibhery in thesame relation as the chains 26 shown iri "Figs. 1 and 2, and aretre- "tained in' thedesired relation by a similarnset of springs 48 and 49 f'as thatused in -connection w -t e arms 21 *an'd*-28.. The outer eneds of 'the elements 16 are pivotally connected by supportingelmnts or arm'sl'l'l'to the outen-race, a

ball' bearing; thevinnerracen of whichisattached to the hub cap. of the, iwheel by rivets 8 0.

The-pivotal, attachment of :the innerends ot the arms-=1! lctoithe o; outer ;rac,e"|8 indicated at .8 I. The inner ends of; the; elements .115 are attached by supporting, elements; or arms 82;; to the out er Jfrac e:.83.-'df a ball bearing b y an: arrangement providing for tensioningoi the arms to clamp the elements; 16 ante driving engagement ith the Whee1.,;The inner ra ce-8 4 of; the ballbearing is attachedntmtherstafio lfy brake s v$ 1 theanns 82, a roller 81 grooved on its periphcry to receiyethe' cable- "and pivotally mounted ode-pin '88, carried by 8 extending fmm guide. as. QThef'guide-fl and-the mounting ears for-[the roller- 81 arerigldly secured'to the outer race I83 of the ballf bearing; The end ot the cable is iextendedabout the roller 81' axially; of the wheel l0 and through openings in a rink 89 slidably in'ounted' onf acylindric'alextension- 88 which is rigidly secured" to the outer race 83 of the ball bearing Theouteriends of the cable 86 {are headed at- 8| to securely attach them to the adjusting ring 89. "The adjustingring lsurged toward 'theliall bearing83 and the position shown in 5 bi a series of resilient coil compression springs '82 which "are retained ungier pompress'ion between the adjusting' ring 88if'and' a" retaining collar J93 threaded on the enterior oi' the extension 88, Inorder to avoid any'slack in'thecablelli the elel r ient I8 isurg'ed outwardly away ffrorn the guide 85, by resilient compression spring 1 94 arranged about the arm 31 119 1? f wve h meie' 's compression springs 82 so as toclampthe elei ir'ien't 18 in engagement 'with*the tread of" the wheel, Ifprovide fingers 95 on the ring 89 extending radiallyinwardthrouhhkial slots inl the cylindrical extension 90. The axial slots fii jex tend fromfthering 89 to the end of the'ex; tension 98, and are made "long enough to ensure suflicient axial hiovement of the ring 89 against the springs 92 toclainp'the elements 16 securely in driving e gageme t? with the "tread" of "the wheel. When the ring 881s in-the po'sition shown in-Fig. fi'athe springll retain's -theelernent I8 out oifcontact; with: 'thefwheel and the element :16." reniains stationary; The desired relation or "t e elen ents IE-and their associated arms" and a: j re maintained "by spr n s like t e springs as and '49 shown ifi-Ei A-Q- The-arc of contactor t e tread "Mi or the wheel in "centact' "with the v m 'wi {o'ver the"-"surface of f 'the' froadfi -Theouter race 83 to'gth'er with the outer race 'l8and'the arms provide for free running of the wheel TI and 82 which are connected by the elements into engagement "with the'i'wheel. and-carried fiu'nder the arc otcontact between the tread of the 'wheel' and the surface of the roady If this -occur s,-the t'aperedf'surfaces 96w ll snap :the

latch bolt 91 but of 'eiiga"geim'ant with'the notch +981 butithe {rotation of -'thewneelwo its initial position will snap the latch bolt Oveithe-tapered outerjsicie 98a of the blocks' 99 and into engage fh ent 1 the notch 98, ancl again retain. the elements '16" in thepesition shown in Fig 1 0i tneurawing with'th'e'whe'el running'freely with respect to thes""elements." '[The latch bolt '81 is vslidablyv mounted and a guide "llll formed in the inner end; ofiaflcylindricaliguide ring I02. The 'latchboltlmayfbe' operated byja lever Hi3 :wh ichis'. pivoted at I 0 4. on 1a bo's'sc'arrieq by the A insideoffthe guide ring I I82. one end' of this lever is bilvotal l&f;connected}at 185, the pivot pin being verticall 'lmiqvable in a" 519i; 1,06 the This tensioningfarra'ngenient I v canf'lbe snapped out" When it is desired to clamp the element 18 into clamping engagement with the tread ll of the wheel a thrust ring ll'l having an annular slot engaging the fingers 85 is moved to the right by a pull rod I88 which is operated from the operators seat in the vehicle. This thrust ring i! is guided by slidingly fitting the same on the guide ring III. The pull" rod I88 is moved sufiiciently to cause the cables 88 attached to the ring 89 to clamp the elements 18 against the tread of the wheel. This movement of the thrust ring I81 first releases the latch bolt 81 by the action of a link I08 connecting the thrust ring lii'i to the outer end of the lever I08. This movement is continued after releasing the latch bolt until the elements 18 are clamped in engagement with the tread ll of the wheel. In this way the elements l6 rotate with the wheel and provide against skidding of the vehicle. Under this .condition the stationary thrust ring ili'l does not interfere with the rotation of the mechanism attached to the elements I6, because the fingers 85 rotate in the grove in the stationary ring ii". If it is then desired to discontinue using the antiskid device, the pull rod I08 is released. The springs 92 first move the ring 88 so as to relieve the tension in the cables 86 and the springs 98 move the elements 18 to a position in which they are out of engagement with the tread of the wheel. Slight further movement of the ring I01 releases the latch bolt 81 so that it engages the notch 98 and retains the elements 16 in the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

It will be understood that the springs 48 and 49 retain the arms 11 in radial position with respect to the wheel, but in the event of striking an obstruction or upon the occurrence of a flat tire the arms 11 will be free to accommodate themselves to the shifting of the arms that may be required. The ball bearings associated with the races 18 and 83; of Fig. and the races 80 and 80 in Fig. 2 are preferably of the sealed type to exclude dust and retain lubricant therein such as grease or 011.

Although I have illustrated two embodiments of my invention, modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. I do not therefore desire my invention to be limited to the particular constructions disclosed, and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In combination, a vehicle, means including a wheel for translatably supporting said vehicle on a surface, means associated with said supporting means and movable therewith for increasing the traction of said supporting means on the surface over which said vehicle is translatable, and means for arresting said traction increasing means with respect to said supporting means and out of contact with the surface over which said vehicle is translatable, said arresting means being releasable by said wheel upon encountering an obstruction.

2. In combination, a vehicle, means including a wheel for translatably supporting said vehicle on a surface, means secured to said supporting means and movable therewith for increasing the traction of said supporting means on the surface over which said vehicle is translatable, and means including a resiliently biased latching bolt and a latching block, for releasing said traction increasing means from said supporting means and for arresting said traction increasing means with respect to said supporting means and out of contact with the surface over which said vehicle is translatable, said releasing and arresting means being releasable by said wheel upon encountering an obstruction.

3. In combination, a vehicle, means including a wheel having a tread for translatably supporting said vehicle on a surface, means extending about the tread of said wheel and including portions spaced apart a distance greater than the arc of contact between the tread of said wheel and the surface over which said vehicle is translatable for increasing the traction between the tread of said wheel and the surface, and means for arresting said traction increasing means with respect to said wheel in a position in which said portions are disposed on opposite sides of the arc of contact of said tread and the surface to provide running said wheel on'the surface with said traction increasing means out of contact with the surface, said arresting means being releasable by said wheel upon encountering an obstruction.

4. In combination, a vehicle, means including a wheel having a tread for translatably supporting said vehicle on a surface, means extending about the tread of said wheel and including portions spaced apart a distance greater 'than the arc of contact between the tread of said wheel and the surface over which said vehicle is translatable for increasing the traction between the tread of said wheel and the surface, means for rotatably supporting said traction increasing means out of driving engagement with said wheel and with respect thereto, a latching block having tapered wedge latching faces associated with said rotatable supporting means, and means including a latching bolt having tapered wedge faces adapted to cooperate with said latching block; for arresting said traction increasing means with respect to said.wheel in a position in which said portions are disposed on opposite sides of the arc of contact of said tread and the surface to provide running said wheel on the surface with said traction increasing means out of contact with the surface.

5. In combination, a vehicle, means including a wheel having a tread for translatably supporting said vehicle on a surface, means extending about the tread of said wheel for increasing the traction between the tread of said wheel and the surface, means including arms for carrying said last mentioned means rotatably with respect to said wheel and out of driving engagement therewith, and means controllable from said vehicle for arresting rotation of said arms with respect to said wheel, said arresting means being releasable by said wheel upon encountering an obstruction.

6. In combination, a vehicle, means including a wheel having a tread for translatably supporting said vehicle on a surface, means extending about the tread of said wheel for increasing the traction between the tread of said wheel and the surface, means including resilient supporting elements for carrying said last mentioned means rotatably with respect to said wheel and for biasing said last mentioned means out of driving engagement therewith, and means for arresting rotation of said supporting elements with respect to said wheel and providing for rotation of said traction increasing means with said wheel, said arresting .means being releasable on said traction increasing means encountering an obstruction to prothe traction between the tread of said wheel and the surface, means including radially resilient supporting elements for carrying said last mentioned means rotatably with respect to said wheel and for biasing said last mentioned means out of driving engagement therewith, and means for arresting rotation of said supporting elements with respect to said wheel and for rotating said supporting elements with said wheel, said arresting means being releasable on said traction increasing means encountering an obstruction to provide for rotation of said traction increasing means with said wheel and being arranged to arrest rotation of said traction increasing means when disengaged from such obstruction.

.8. In combination, a vehicle, means including a wheel having a tread for supporting said vehicle on a surface, means extending about the tread of said wheel for increasing the traction between the tread and the surface, means for supporting said traction increasing means out of driving engagement with said wheel, said Supp rting means being releasable upon said traction increasing means encountering an obstruction to provide for rotation of said traction increasing means with said wheel, and means movable axially of said wheel for securing said traction increasing means in driving engagement with the tread of said wheel and for biasing said traction increasing means support to disengaged position.

9. In combination, a vehicle, means including a wheel having a tread for supporting said ve.- hicle on a surface, means extending about the tread of said wheel for increasing the traction between the tread and the surface, means for supporting said traction increasing means out of driving engagement with said wheel, said supporting means being releasable upon said traction increasing means encountering an obstruction to provide for rotation of said traction increasing rotation of said traction increasing means when disengaged from such obstruction, and means operable from said vehicle and movable axially of said wheel for seeming-said traction increasmeans with said wheel and arranged to arrest hicle on a surface, means extending about the tread of said wheel for increasing the traction between the tread of said wheel and the surface, means arranged on one side of said wheel and extending radially thereof for rotatably supporting one side of said traction increasing means, means arranged on the other side of said wheel and extending radially thereof for rotatably supporting the other side of said traction increasing means out of driving engagement with said tread, and means on one of said wheel sides for securing said traction incl-easing means in driving en-. gagement with the tread of said wheel.

- FRANK J. DALEY. 

